New platform pillar backs police and firefighters to keep pace with growth, builds safety into streets from the start, and gets Langley ready for SkyTrain

LANGLEY TOWNSHIP — Langley Strong today released its safety pillar, Respect for Our Safety — written by the two members of its team who have spent their careers on the front lines: council candidate Barb Martens, a retired Vancouver Police officer, and council candidate Teresa Townsley, a former emergency room nurse.

The pillar backs Langley’s police and firefighters with staffing and resources to keep pace with growth, moves toward community police offices and expanded foot and bike patrols, augments the fire department’s prevention, inspection and public education programs, and brings police, transit police, bylaws, outreach agencies and businesses to one table ahead of SkyTrain’s arrival. It requires traffic calming, sidewalks and lighting to be delivered with new construction — built in, not bolted on — and creates peer support programs for first responders.

“Growth without staffing is a dangerous thing for a community,” said Martens. “Our police and firefighters need a council that has a strong fiscal plan and clear safety vision so we can staff for the Langley we’re becoming, not the Langley we were.”

“In the ER you learn that prevention beats response, every time,” said Townsley. “More fire inspectors, safer street design, and someone who checks on our first responders after the hard calls, because they carry those days home with them.”

“Safety is the first thing a family asks of its local government,” said mayoral candidate Jay Lundgren. “This pillar was helped by the two people on our team who’ve lived the hard days. I know my family would be safer, and our community stronger, with this plan in place.”

Respect for Our Safety is one of ten pillars Langley Strong is releasing ahead of the October 17 municipal election. The full pillar is at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform.

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About Langley Strong

Langley Strong is a team of Township of Langley residents running to restore respect at Township Hall: mayoral candidate Jay Lundgren and council candidates Lauren Chalus, Shumail Javed, Margaret Kunst, Barb Martens, Kim Richter, Teresa Townsley and Blair Whitmarsh, and with trustee candidates Candy Ashdown, Kathie Dalziel, Holly Dickinson, Charlie Fox, Neil Turner and Tony Ward. The full platform and tool is at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform.

Media Contact

Karen Zukas
Media Relations, Langley Strong
Email: media@langleystrong.ca